You Are What You Eat: Toying with the Process of Becoming

Abstract

Material and virtual toys are present in people’s lives from childhood to adulthood. Food, toys and play-acting are entangled in childhood socialization processes that leave abrasions, cravings, and memory musings that denote places and times as well as feelings of being out of place and out of time. Immigrants’ longing for the homeland is often translated into the attachment and reproduction of food traditions. Mothers and their children experience the dilemma of fitting into the adopted culture while retaining homeland traditions. This generational conundrum is highlighted in social events and food choices. This chapter explores these challenges, using autobiographical memories, ethnographic analysis, and materiality theory.